Facing the final frontier

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P & Q

I can finally sit for longer than 3 minutes! Hurrah! And I actually watched a movie tonight – Seeking A Friend For The End of The World. It was okay. I preferred Perfect Sense, with Ewan MacGregor and Eva Green.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was overly hectic, with three people cooking to the very last minute. As much as I love leafed Brussels sprouts, I don’t think I’ll be doing that again any time soon. They were good with bacon and grapes, but I think I’ll just shred them next time and do the bleu cheese thing.

The Hubs is back in New Zealand. We spoke via Face Time tonight. He’s in a nifty pad, sharing with another driller who used to be a chef (cooking salmon as we spoke). He gave me a tour of the pad, his new truck, etc. Not too shabby.

I’m still hanging on the clinical trial I’ve been on, still flying to Denver every other Wednesday. I’m now on the 11th cycle, which really is a miracle for which I’m grateful (to god and science). I had to see an eye doctor for my chronically infected eyes, and a podiatrist for my chronically infected toes (paronychia), side effects of course. The scalp oil I’m supposed to use just hurts, so that problem hasn’t been resolved, and the bottom of my feet continue to be tender and sore (walking is a real problem). I have a scan on December 12, so we’ll see. I’ve been coughing quite a bit more, but then – is it construction dust from all the remodeling Hubs has been doing for the last month? (Wood floors, electrical, paint, demolition, etc.?) Did I forget to mention he converted the family room into a formal dining room, removed a wall, and added cabinets and a wood countertop (supposed to be temporary until we re-do the whole kitchen)? He also painted the living room and chopped up the fireplace in order to mount the tv above it, then installed a gas insert.

While this doesn’t completely explain my blog absence, just imagine what it might be like to spend what could be one of your last months on earth going from one box store to another in search of light fixtures, flooring, paint, wiring, dining furniture… In between trying to get incompetent people to print a copy of your dad’s book, taking him around to get second opinions, and attending to the usual wifely duties of homemaking. Thanks to not having my priorities straight, Kaiser has now sent a collection agency after me so now my medical billing has to be rectified. I need help with this stuff and there really isn’t anyone to help. My sister’s response is that she “can only help with things that can be scheduled”. If I could schedule people to take care of my family’s needs, I could do the same for my own needs. Anyway… I shouldn’t whine. I forgot. I’m supposed to be happy that I don’t live in a war-torn country, that I’m not starving, that someone is providing for me, etc etc.

I’m thankful. Now I’m supposed to do yoga to quiet my mind and work towards positive things. So I celebrate finally being able to watch something I want to watch, finishing 6 loads of laundry (only 4 more to go), and having the cat litter in my bathroom because there is nowhere else to put it (the cats have been displaced by renovation). I have high hopes that I’ll get to go to a movie and do something fun in the next couple of weeks. Home renovation isn’t my kind of fun, although the room is beautiful and entertainment-worthy. (As I’ve said previously, I used to enjoy home improvement, but under the circumstances, it seems like a gross waste of (borrowed) time. However, I seem to be alone in this opinion and in the belief that there are other more fun and meaningful things I could spend my time doing.)

As for the New Zealand thing… I guess I’ll just roll with the punches. Not much else to do. Anyway I probably won’t live longer than it would take for Hubs to immigrate. He says he’ll probably work something like 4 weeks on, 1 week off, or 8 on, 2 off. He comes back for Xmas, which will be spent with his family, then he returns to NZ at the New Year. He’ll probably work straight through to March. I may be on another clinical trial by then, if I qualify, or…?

It’s good to hear from you. You can whine to me all you want. You don’t have to blow sunshine where it don’t belong. It’s ok to be real.

I made little chickens for Thanksgiving… you know, those Cornish game hens. That way, everyone got their own personal turkey. I just stuffed them, buttered them up and dropped them in an oven bag on 350 for two hours. It was easy and they turned out beautiful.

I’m glad that you’re still okay…i was beginning to worry! We’re renoing right now also…not fun but I’m focused on the end result. Just finished our film Festival…two wonderful films to recommend if you can get’em…”Come as you are” and a documentary, “Searching for Sugarman” about Rodriquez, a musician who was huge in South Africa but despite being a native of Detroit went undiscovered in the US. Film just released so probably not available but check out his music on Amazon….and further good luck to you!! Patricia